The instructor will discuss how to plan multi-country trips, hit travel milestones, and manage the logistics of "big" travel.

Travel virtually to places like Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Muscat, Oman, through the lens of an American who has lived and worked in the region for nearly a decade. Moving beyond headlines and stereotypes, the class examines the rhythms of daily life, cultural values, and social structures that shape contemporary Gulf societies. Drawing on the presenter’s lived experience in the United Arab Emirates, students will be introduced to the nuances of cultural adaptation, language learning, and cross-cultural communication in a rapidly evolving region. Topics will include identity and belonging, the balance between tradition and modernity, and the role of music, language, and interpersonal connection in understanding culture from within. Rather than a geopolitical or policy-focused approach, this seminar emphasizes human experience and cultural immersion, encouraging participants to reconsider assumptions and engage with the Arab Gulf through a more grounded and personal perspective.

Travel virtually to places like Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Muscat, Oman, through the lens of an American who has lived and worked in the region for nearly a decade. Moving beyond headlines and stereotypes, the class examines the rhythms of daily life, cultural values, and social structures that shape contemporary Gulf societies. Drawing on the presenter’s lived experience in the United Arab Emirates, students will be introduced to the nuances of cultural adaptation, language learning, and cross-cultural communication in a rapidly evolving region. Topics will include identity and belonging, the balance between tradition and modernity, and the role of music, language, and interpersonal connection in understanding culture from within. Rather than a geopolitical or policy-focused approach, this seminar emphasizes human experience and cultural immersion, encouraging participants to reconsider assumptions and engage with the Arab Gulf through a more grounded and personal perspective.

We will discuss the chaotic history of what are now six, maybe seven separate countries and cultures divided by geography and religion. This discussion will include attention to Ivo Andric's novel, The Bridge Over The Drina, arguably the best book to read to understand how this region became so splintered and violent. Andric won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1961. Our program will include many photos of the speaker’s and his wife’s tour of these countries in the spring of 2026.